


Holiday

by kinsale_42



Series: McHanzo [11]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas Spirit, Cookies, Fluff, Gifts, Kisses, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, Surprises, a little innuendo, always nice to have a bit of innuendo, decorations, did I mention surprises, no really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:22:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21729751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinsale_42/pseuds/kinsale_42
Summary: Hanzo wants to give something special to Jesse for Christmas, something that is hard to find outside New Mexico. So he undertakes making it himself. And Jesse, while trying not to get in the way of Hanzo's surprise, comes up with a little plan of his own to contribute to the holiday.
Relationships: Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada
Series: McHanzo [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/925497
Comments: 12
Kudos: 85





	Holiday

Jesse woke slowly. The bed was warm and comfortable, his body relaxed. His ankles popped when he stretched, and as he transitioned into awareness, it became clear that he actually felt good. The light that peeked around the edges of the blinds and the bedroom door was soft and clear, well past sunrise, and there were little noises coming from the kitchen. He smiled. This was nice. Why couldn’t mornings always be this pleasant? 

As he pushed back the duvet, Jesse stretched his legs one more time before swinging his feet to the floor. He picked up his prosthetic and clicked it into the socket, then strolled into the kitchen to find his coffee and see what Hanzo was getting up to.

Hanzo was at the counter with a variety of ingredients and measuring implements spread out in front of him, staring at his tablet. When he saw Jesse, he quickly covered what he was reading, and turned to get out a fresh coffee cup.

Jesse slid his hands around his lover’s waist, slipping his thumb under the edge of Hanzo’s silky t-shirt to stroke the warm skin of his abdomen, and leaned in to plant a small kiss on Hanzo’s neck, in that smooth spot just below his ear. 

“Mornin’, babe.” As easily as he had encircled his lover, he slipped away, accepting the cup he was offered and filling it with hot coffee. “Whatcha doing?”

“I am baking. For the holiday.” Hanzo had hoped to at least get the dough into the refrigerator before Jesse was awake, but alas, he had not moved swiftly enough.

Leaning against the edge of the counter, Jesse picked a mandarin orange out of the basket next to Hanzo’s workspace, and sniffed at its fragrant skin before tossing it in the air and catching it. “Oh yeah? I thought we already ordered the cake. And those other things. The red bean things?”

“That is correct. But this is not something that can be purchased from the bakery here.” Hanzo took the mandarin from Jesse’s hand and replaced it in the basket.

Jesse sipped at his coffee. It was strong and dark and delicious, and he could almost feel it saturating his body as he swallowed. “So...what is it then?” He tried to get a closer look at the ingredients but Hanzo had hidden the distinctive items before Jesse’d realized he’d need to be nosy if he wanted to figure out what was going on.

“It is a surprise. Go away.” Hanzo gave him a gentle shove, and glared at him sternly, but Jesse could see the twitch at the corner of his mouth that betrayed a suppressed smile.

“Alright, alright.” Jesse grinned. “I’ll go downstairs and exercise for a bit. How long should I be gone?”

“An hour. Perhaps one and a half hours?”

Jesse chugged the rest of his coffee, nearly scalding his throat. His face flushed with the heat of it, but he barely seemed to notice. “Okay.” He stole a swift kiss, leaving Hanzo with just the impression of warmth on his lips and the scent of coffee in his nose, and absconded to the bedroom to change into workout clothes. He was out the door in less time than it took for Hanzo to wash his coffee cup and replace it in the cupboard. 

*

An hour and eighteen minutes later, Jesse unlocked the door and poked his head in. A wave of warm baking aromas drifted over him, orange and vanilla and sweet spices. 

“Is it safe to come in yet?” he called.

The response came with a clattering of pans and the slamming of the oven door. “No!” Hanzo sounded frantic. The whole baking endeavor was taking much longer than he’d anticipated.

Jesse pulled up the hood on his sweatshirt and cinched it down around his face. “I’m comin’ in, sugar, but I’m not looking, I swear.” He stepped inside and closed the door. “Just gonna head for the shower. I’m not looking!” 

Hanzo saw him zoom past, straight as an arrow through the dining room and out of sight into the bathroom. He pushed his hair back out of his face, leaving a smudge of cookie dough on his forehead. He just needed to get cinnamon sugar on this batch, and get one more batch cut out and in the oven and he’d be able to start cleaning up. If he hurried...no, if he hurried he’d screw them up. Forget hurrying. If Jesse saw them, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. He took a deep breath and carefully began to flip one cookie at a time into his bowl of cinnamon sugar before placing each one on the rack to cool.

Jesse tried to take his time in the shower, but he had a fantastic idea while he was washing his hair and he just mechanically went through the remaining steps of bathing while he worked out all the details in his head. He was drying off when he realized he’d only taken ten minutes, but then it occurred to him that it didn’t matter. There was no reason he couldn’t act on his idea right now. He didn’t have to wait until he could get everything set up to surprise Hanzo. He’d just do the same thing Hanzo was currently doing to him.

When he was presentable again, Jesse said loudly from the hallway, just out of sight of the kitchen, “Hanzo? I’m gonna go out for a bit. Pick up a few things. Will that work for you? Give you a little more time?”

Hanzo could not help being pleased. Even after all this time, he still expected Jesse’s default reactions to be more like his brother’s. And Genji, at least when they were children, would have relished spoiling his brother’s special plans. 

“That would be excellent. Thank you.”

“M’kay. I’m gonna walk over to the door now. Not looking.” Jesse stepped out and headed over to put on his boots and hat. As he pulled on his coat, he spoke to the wall. “When I get back, it’ll be your turn to hide for a bit, love. If everything goes as planned, I’ll have a little surprise for you too.” 

*

Once Jesse had herded Hanzo out for his own exercise time, he assessed the living area of the apartment, trying to determine the best placement for his gift. He decided on the coffee table, for maximum effect. Hanzo could put it wherever he wanted, of course, but the center of the room would be best for the reveal. He nodded, and turned to unwrap the large sheet of plain paper that had protected the item in question both from prying eyes and the chill of December air.

After he had placed it where he wanted it, and decided which way it should face, Jesse pulled two small boxes from a plain brown shopping bag, and added the finishing touches that made it personal. He stood back and observed his work. His mouth twisted in concentration as he leaned back down and tweaked a detail or two. Then he nodded, approving of the results.

The next thing he pulled out of the bag was a package of tiny Christmas lights, in all the classic colors. He’d found a string that was the perfect size to drape across the mantle of the holofire, and he arranged it carefully around Hanzo’s usual decorations and plugged it in. 

“Perfect,” he murmured to himself. Jesse switched on the holofire, and returned to the shopping bag for the final treat: a bottle of good brandy and a six pack of hard cider. He carried them into the kitchen, but when he went to put the cider into the refrigerator he paused. Was he going to ruin the surprise if he opened the refrigerator? Some baked goods required refrigeration, some didn’t. What were the odds?

He tried to remember how the items had been distributed on the shelves when he’d last looked inside it yesterday. Once he had a general picture in his head, he closed his eyes and opened the door, reaching out with his hand to touch where he thought there should be an empty spot big enough for his beverages. Finding it to be as he expected, he slid the cider into place and closed the door. There. He hadn’t messed up anything. 

Now he just had to wait for Hanzo to return. 

*

“Jesse?” Hanzo held the door open a crack. There was some soft music coming from the living room, but no other indication that something was happening within. Then Jesse popped out of the kitchen and opened the door the rest of the way. He stopped Hanzo just inside though, trapping his sweaty body in the hallway.

“I can’t hide my present, so I’m gonna walk you through the living room, and then when you’ve cleaned up you can see it, okay, pumpkin?” Jesse smiled. This was actually kind of fun, all this suspense and holiday goings on. And the Christmas music he’d found just really made the whole scene.

Hanzo nodded, and allowed Jesse to put his hand across Hanzo’s eyes and lead him through to the bathroom. He’d been a little nervous that Jesse wouldn’t like his treat, and now he was also a little nervous that he wouldn’t like whatever Jesse had done and wouldn’t be able to hide it. He rushed through his shower, unable to wait any longer than necessary.

Jesse was still blocking the way into the living room when Hanzo emerged, clean and dressed, his wet hair tied back, except for that one piece that always fell over his brow. 

Hanzo tried to look around him. “What is it? May I see now?”

Jesse moved aside and let him through, following him out into the living room. He watched as Hanzo realized what had changed about the room. 

In the center of the coffee table stood a small bonsai, its spiky juniper branches decorated with tiny red, gold, and blue globes, like a miniature Christmas tree. It was lit with tiny star shaped lights strung together on a slender silver filament.

“Ah!” Hanzo exclaimed. He stretched out a hand to touch the ornaments. “So perfect,” he said. “And the colored lights!” He gestured at the mantle. “Very nice. Thank you.” 

“I thought we could use a little more holiday spirit,” Jesse said as Hanzo embraced him. They kissed, and it was a long, delicious kiss that conveyed more emotion than Hanzo’s few words of appreciation could ever have. When it was over, Jesse asked, “Did you want to show me your surprise now too, or do I have to wait for something else?”

Hanzo stepped out of his lover’s arms and directed him to the sofa. “Sit, I will bring it out to you.” Jesse did as instructed, and tried not to watch as Hanzo opened an airtight container and transferred something from it onto a plate. 

To make his surprise a little more dramatic, Hanzo covered the dish with a napkin. He sat down next to Jesse on the sofa and removed the napkin to reveal four cookies coated in cinnamon and sugar. Jesse’s lips parted.

“Are those what I think they are?” He looked at Hanzo in wonder. “Did you make me biscochitos?” Jesse picked up one of the cookies and bit into it as Hanzo looked on in anticipation of his reaction. “Holy shit, you made me biscochitos,” Jesse continued, crunching through another bite, the orange zest and anise and cinnamon reminding him of other Christmases in other lifetimes.

“Do you like them?” Hanzo asked.

“Honey, I love them. They are amazing. How did you know about them?” Jesse was already finishing his second cookie and starting on a third. He was just remembering he hadn’t had lunch yet.

“I wanted to make you Christmas cookies, so I performed some research. These appeared to be significant to your home region.” He paused, and he finished in a softer tone. “I hoped they would be significant to you.”

Jesse smiled. “They are very significant to me. And I can’t get them just anywhere. But hey,” he said, setting the now-empty plate down next to the Christmas bonsai. “Let’s go get lunch and then later on we can loosen up with some brandy and cider and I’ll teach you some Christmas carols. Or...we can find some interesting things to tie up with ribbons and bows.” He winked. “If you know what I mean.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow. “I am not familiar with this holiday tradition.” His lips curled into a smile and there was a sly twinkle in his eye. “You will have to demonstrate.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the Overwatch Official Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel for the idea. I've made them. They're good. (You can use shortening.)


End file.
